Meditations for Entrepreneurs #9: The Transformative Mud of Challenge

My continuing series: quoting great thinkers who inspire me, then offering commentary on how it connects with the entrepreneurial game. I hope these meditations will help other entrepreneurs play the bigger game. 

“There is the mud, and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus.”― Thich Nhat Hanh

Challenge is in the inevitable. But challenge and struggle is what ultimately transforms us.

Part of what makes entrepreneurship so powerful as an engine for personal development is that there can be a LOT of mud.

I took my first startup, Revelation, from idea, through initial launch, to raising $1M+, growth and then to exit. From the outside it may have looked like I was totally on top of things, speaking from stages and creating an industry leading company. And, yes, that did all happen. 

However, from the inside, my experience was a harrowing and emotionally draining journey. The challenges and demands were constant. I’d like to say that I rose up and met every challenge with grace and confidence, but that wouldn’t be true. There were moments where, I was reduced to tears. Times when the most important relationships in my life were challenged. 

When I look back, the biggest struggle in the journey was with my own internal belief systems. It was like having one foot on the gas and one on the brake. Progress happened, but with a lot of squealing of tires and grinding of gears. 

But even though Revelation was a success story, I think the biggest and most important work that happened was my own personal growth. The experience of going through those challenges - sometimes succeeding, often failing - and coming out the other side created my own transformation. 

The challenges you encounter in the entrepreneurial journey is the mud. But if you see the mud as critical nutrients for your growth and transformation, you will value your challenges as much as your successes.